8 ways English football actually could stoop lower

"I didn't think England could stoop any lower from what happened in the summer at the Euros. Now here we are, a laughing stock of world football."

Alan Shearer's words following the departure of disgraced England manager Sam Allardyce will resonate with many a fan of the Three Lions. Big Sam lasted only one game and 67 days in the job - by far the shortest full-time reign as an England manager in history.

But is Shearer right? Could England stoop lower? We pondered a few ways it could...

1. A few awful fans could ruin everything... again

Violence involving England fans went on for days in Marseille at Euro 2016 (Darko Bandic/AP)

So the manager didn't turn out to be all they were cracked up to be, but at least the fans are still the best in the world - right?

The scenes of the way England's fans acted at Euro 2016 shocked those watching at home across the world, as French hospitality was abused time and again.

Lille was another city where England fans caused disturbance (Niall Carson/PA)

To say all England fans are awful would be self-deprecating and wide of the mark, but if those select few were caught acting in such a way again English football would find itself in a deep, deep trench.

2. They could do a France in 2010

France's 2010 was less than smooth, and we aren't talking about them crashing out of the world cup at the group stages (Adam Davy/EMPICS Sport)

In April 2010 French TV station M6 reported French international footballers were involved in a prostitution ring operating out of a night club in Paris.

Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema, along with two others depending on reports, were taken to court accused of paying for an under age prostitute.

Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema were the two highest profile names implicated in the scandal (David Vincent/AP)

Zahia Dehar is reported as being 16 or 17 when she slept with the players in 2008 and 2009, and in France prostitution is legal but only for those 18 or over. Dehar is now something of a celebrity in France and Ribery and Benzema eventually had the charges dropped in 2014 - it was certainly a low point though.

3. Or a France in 2015

There's been some low points to French football in recent years (Joe Giddens/EMPICS Sport)

We promise we aren't just having a dig at France. In 2015 France and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema - yes him again too - was arrested for blackmail.

This time Benzema was accused of blackmailing his own team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape of Valbuena and his girlfriend. Benzema has not played for France since and could face up to five years in prison when the verdict is given on October 14.

That's not the way for team-mates to treat each other, right? Well, maybe you should see the next one...

4. They could have another player scandal

John Terry was never getting a handshake from his fellow England man Wayne Bridge (Adam Davy/EMPICS Sport)

In France's defence, England have already had plenty of their own scandals, and the debacle between John Terry and Wayne Bridge was one of the most high-profile of them all.

Terry, who is married with two children, allegedly had an affair with Bridge's ex-girlfriend and mother to his child, Vanessa Perroncel. The reported affair caused such fractures that Bridge refused to shake Terry's hand and Terry was eventually stripped of his England captaincy.

In 2014 Leeds United appointed Dave Hockaday - despite his only managerial experience being at non-league Forest Green.

Hockaday lasted only six games, which to be fair is longer than Allardyce did in the England job. However, nothing would make fans feel lower than an appointment with such little experience - they were unimpressed by Big Sam's after all.

I'm sure that Third Division title with Notts County will serve Sam Allardyce well in the 2018 World Cup

Although, judging by the Brexiteer's ability to remove Britain from international stages, we can't imagine England would last too long when the 2018 World Cup comes around.

8. They could try to play foreign players... again

Mikel Arteta was almost an England player (Stephen Pond/EMPICS Sport)

For those of you who don't remember, in 2010 England almost put Arsenal midfielder and Spaniard Mikel Arteta, of Everton at the time, on their books.

Despite having resided in England for the required five years, in the end Arteta wasn't allowed to play for England because he had played for Spain at junior level - part of a little known Fifa rule.

Arteta hasn't played for the senior Spain team, but England may have taken him on (Martin Rickett/PA)

Sourcing players from other countries, especially those like Arteta who can't make their own national teams, indicates things are pretty bad for the national team. If it happened now it might just be be more than their fans' pride can take.